In early Monday trading in Asia, Bitcoin briefly sank to about $64,090, dropping as much as 5.6% amid renewed concerns over US tariffs, while Ether slid 5% and other altcoins fell even more. Over the same period, 12 US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a fifth consecutive week of net outflows totaling $3.8 billion, the longest such stretch since February last year, as Asian equity benchmarks such as South Korea's Kospi and Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced.

On February 22, 2026, lawmakers in Arizona advanced S.B. 1649, a bill that designates XRP as an eligible holding in a proposed Digital Assets Strategic Reserve Fund. The measure passed a committee vote 4–2 and outlines a state-managed reserve that can hold seized or surrendered digital assets meeting defined sustainability criteria. If fully approved, the initiative would broaden Arizona's potential crypto reserve beyond only the largest networks.

Pig-butchering crypto scams cultivate long-term trust, then funnel victims into fake digital asset platforms. In January 2026, losses reached $370.3 million, with social engineering accounting for about $311 million. Authorities are pursuing networks and laundering operations, but cross-border structures and encrypted channels complicate enforcement.

Bitcoin dropped within hours from $67,800 to a 17-day low of $64,350 on February 22/23 after renewed tariff moves by President Trump, before stabilizing near $66,000. Analyst Ali Martinez highlighted $58,500, $54,440, and $41,500 as the next major on-chain support areas if the decline continues. Altcoins also fell, while liquidations neared $500 million and open interest retreated to $19.5 billion amid rising retail fear.

KITE surged nearly 14% over the last 24 hours, reversing part of the prior day's pullback, according to TradingView. Price continues to test a rising trendline that has held since 06 February, while derivatives data shows caution: Open Interest fell by roughly $32 million to about $85 million and the Long/Short Ratio hovered near 0.75.

Crypto analyst Alexhiz on TradingView outlines a macro correction for Ethereum, warning that support above $1,900 could fail and a roughly 60% slide toward $600 may be ahead. He argues a capitulation-driven liquidity reset could enable long-term accumulation, with potential targets of $10,000–$15,000 in 2028–2029.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has outlined a new framework for thinking about blockchain security, arguing that the divide between security and user experience is largely artificial. He emphasizes minimizing the gap between what users intend and how systems actually behave, calling for redundancy-based protections in Ethereum wallets and dApps. Buterin also suggests using large language models as an additional, but not exclusive, layer to help interpret and verify user intent.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said in an X post on Sunday that AI-powered personal assistants could help users navigate DAO governance by handling routine votes and surfacing context. He pointed to participation rates of roughly 15%–25% and warned of centralization risks. Near Foundation researcher Lane Rettig described similar "digital twins" last year.